


playing with your food

by ThatWeirdGuyInTheBushes



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Character Study, Child Abuse, Emotional Manipulation, Gaslighting, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Lonely TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Suicidal Thoughts, TommyInnit Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), Villain Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), courtesy of tommyinnit, unfortunately he gets one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 03:47:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28682055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatWeirdGuyInTheBushes/pseuds/ThatWeirdGuyInTheBushes
Summary: "I trust you," Tommy says, his eyes shiny and his legs shaking. Dream keeps his hands in his pockets, watching impassively until he takes out one hand and puts it on Tommy's arm. Tommy leans into the touch like some kind of desperate cat that's been neglected for too long and Dream smiles, a little pitying, a little vindicated.-Fearing that his children would one day overthrow him, Kronos swallowed each upon their birth.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Clay | Dream & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 315





	playing with your food

**Author's Note:**

> EDIT: GUYS HE SAID FUCKING PLAYING WITH YOUR FOOD HE SAID MY LINE DREAM FUCKING KINS ME WHAT A NERD LMMMMMMMMMMMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Dream dishes out affection in increments. In tiny moments, between everything else that he is, he likes to give out just enough to keep them going. Sapnap hardly needs it, is what Dream learns. All it takes is one. One "I'm proud of you," one "My friend," one "I love you," and he can take everything the world and Dream throw at him for months. Sapnap is the glue that holds their stupid little family together and as long he can put up with it, everyone will stay.

He's like a practice round, in some ways. The testing field, where Dream can try out all the things he'll do to more important people.

_ (The first child is Hestia, goddess of the hearth, and she only wants a home, so she will never realize she's been swallowed.) _

Wilbur is different. Wilbur needs an enemy. He needs to be the epicentre, the planet that everything orbits around, and to do that he needs a war so Dream gives him one. And when the solar system falls to pieces Dream grabs him and pulls him up the hand, puts a hand on his head and runs fingers through his hair and tells him that he is doing the right thing. Wilbur wants to be a bad guy. He'd probably enjoy the compliment, coming from Dream.

Wilbur tells him of the unfinished symphony. Dream does not try to fill in the page, but he does provide a little harmony.

_ (Demeter is the second born, goddess of the earth, and she only wants to reap what she has sewn, so she will never realize she was swallowed.) _

Schlatt is complicated. Poor Schlatt, Dream thinks, watching the man slumped over his desk. Poor man, to stumble into this without knowing what his fate will be. He does not think it for long, of course, but it's thought, as a courtesy. He shakes hands with Schlatt and makes sure to put a smile in his voice, a big wide one, even if his face under the mask is flat. It's all what they perceive, is it not? He wipes his hands clean of Schlatt as soon as he is able. Power-hungry oaf, too clever and too stupid to live.

Schlatt speaks of drowning and bubbling magma and a past only he and Wilbur can remember. Dream cannot give him back Wilbur, at least not directly, but the final result is close enough, he thinks.

_ (Hera is the third born, goddess of family, who wants nothing more than someone by her side, so she will never realize she was swallowed.) _

Tubbo is easy, is the best part about him. He's fragile. He plays chess and he cares too much and he's really putting all of his efforts into this thing he likes to pretend is a country. He's a little boy in a too-big suit, in a jacket that was hung up in a cave by his predecessor, one that will never fit him right. He plays chess and he wins sometimes because Dream likes to let him. He gets in fights and he wins sometimes, and Dream always gives a polite little opera clap when he does. It's fun, to watch this little show.

Tubbo needs praise, Tubbo needs assurance that he is right and he is good, so Dream takes off his armour and complies to Tubbo's pathetic house rules. And when Tubbo needs to be put in his place, Dream is there to provide.

_ (Hades is the fourth born, the king of the underworld and gold, and all he wishes for is a place on Mount Olympus, so he will never realize he was swallowed.) _

Tommy is a nuisance, which makes him fun. He's loud and obnoxious and a mix of beats and melodies all layered on top of one another, which makes Dream understand why he took such a liking to Cat. He swears at Dream and hits him and Dream takes his armour with a sigh. He doesn't want to do this, Tommy has to understand. Tommy is fun in the way that he shouts and shouts and then shouts a little quieter the next day. It's so clear, every step he takes closer and closer to finally settling down and fitting into Dream's lovely collection.

If the only thing Dream can get is a corpse, he's not going to complain about the noise stopping.

"I trust you," Tommy says, his eyes shiny and his legs shaking. Dream keeps his hands in his pockets, watching impassively until he takes out one hand and puts it on Tommy's arm. Tommy leans into the touch like some kind of desperate cat that's been neglected for too long and Dream smiles, a little pitying, a little vindicated.

He sees Wilbur in Tommy's place, kneeling on the ground in front of his pathetic little altar in Pogtopia. He sees his own hand cupping Wilbur's face. "You're doing good," he had said. "You're doing the right thing, Wilbur."

And this is almost the same if a little different because Wilbur was so much easier. He had set his mind on throwing himself over the edge and cutting away his country's wings; all he really needed was a hacksaw. Tommy is different. Tommy wasn't even on the mountain, before, but Dream has done well on that front.

True gods are not proud of themselves for things like this. All it needs is an acknowledgement of completion.

And Tommy is complete, now. Three lives, Dream thinks, three acts, and he finds it a little funny because wasn't this literary metaphor supposed to be Wilbur's schtick? But he can't help himself. Three acts that all end the same. That all end with him. It's boring. He thought that Tommy would tell a better story than that.

But for now, he puts a hand on Tommy's arm and holds him close and says "I trust you too." Tommy is the last. Tommy is the most difficult. In so many ways, Tommy is also the easiest.

“You’re my friend,” Tommy says, and then repeats, as if trying to convince himself. “You’re my friend, you’re my friend.”

“I am,” Dream replies without prompting. He steps forward a little and slowly draws Tommy in for a hug. Hands under Tommy’s arms, across his back, making sure he can’t get out and making certain he doesn’t know it. It’s raining, which is fitting.

Tommy collapses into the hug, hands scraping down Dream’s back, and he sobs. Dream rolls his eyes. His clothes will be ruined by the snot and tears, but sacrifices have to be made, sometimes.

He puts a hand on the back of Tommy’s head. “It’s alright,” he coos- like he’s calming a toddler. “It’s okay, Tommy, you can cry, it’s alright.”

“They hate me,” Tommy wails. “I- I fucked up and they hate me now. I fucked up, Dream, I’m sorry.”

Dream runs a hand through his hair and graciously, does not respond.

“I’d be better off dead,” Tommy chokes, and Dream thinks his silence is more of an answer than anything else.

Tommy can throw himself off a cliff if he really wants to. Not very poetic, but as long as he’s gone.

“But think about everyone who’d miss you,” Dream says, even though he knows what Tommy’s answer will be.

_(The fifth child is Poseidon, the god of the sea, who only wants to breathe, so he will never realize he was swallowed.)_

Technoblade harbours Tommy and Dream cannot do anything about it. But he watches, he watches, and rage boils in his lungs. Tommy is yelling at him again, and he’s back to being that little pest that Dream can never  _ fucking  _ flick off.

At least he still has that favour. At least he can take out his rage on something.

He has the prison. He has followers. He is still powerful, and he does not have to fear.

And yet despite being a god, despite how proud of his work he is refusing to be, the cold sloshing fear in his stomach is the same. Because he gets all of them out of the way, he always does. Sapnap, when he threatened to take the position as leader. Tubbo, when he got too bold. Schlatt and Wilbur and now Tommy.

And yet Technoblade still waits.

_ (The sixth child is Zeus, who has hidden far away, and Kronos will never realize that he has only swallowed a rock.) _


End file.
